Leslie Allicks has been a business owner and entrepreneur in Westchester since 2007—beginning with her boutique tea house known as Lola’s Tea House, located in Mamaroneck. Lola’s, which she named after her mother, found instant success and was open for five years, when she pivoted to create the Tea Experience, a full-service tea party catering business.
Leslie brings the Tea Experience to HudCo Provisions this Wednesday, February 16, where she’ll be offering a variety of flavors and accessories that can be enjoyed at home or shipped out for thoughtful gifting.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to leap to owning their own business but doesn’t know where to start?
Surround yourself at the outset with the right (business development) resources to ensure that you obtain sound, realistic, and informative tools that will set your business foundation on successful solid ground.
Seek out and enroll in an accelerator program or State Development Corporation (ESDC) Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP) Center.
What kind of tea do you drink throughout your day?
Honestly, I start the day with a hot cup of coffee! I LOVE the smell and taste of coffee. Then I move on to tea throughout the rest of the day—to bedtime. My tea choices change from season to season. I drink lighter, fruity teas (green, peach, mango flavors) during the spring and summer months, and I drink spiced-type teas like Chai, Earl Grey Creme, and chocolate-flavored teas in the fall and wintertime.
You have such clever items in your subscription boxes. How do you go about curating them?
I peruse social media pages, searching for trends, survey current and potential customers, and test items out on my friends and family. My focus is to curate the SimpliciTEA boxes from women-owned, minority-owned small businesses.
If you could have a dream tea party and invited anyone alive now or from the past, who would attend?
I would invite my parents-especially my Dad and my ancestors from his side of my family because my Dad is the inspiration and reason why I am in this business. I would want him to see how successful I have become while paying homage to him and my Cruzan ancestry.